St. Landry democrat., 1887-05-07


Again, counsel clerks in this hoRsc to
| search out what are the unlawful and
dishonest demands of an establishment
and resist them. In the six thousand
years that has passed there has never
been an occasion when it was ones duty
| to sin against God. 1t is never right to do
| wrong. If the head men expect of you
dishonesty, disappoint them.
co." you say, Il should lost my place
| Them
| Better lose your place than lose your
soul. But you will not lose your place.
Christian heroism is always honored.
y on go to the head man of your store, and
say:
''Sir, want to serve you; want to
| oblige you; it is from no lack of industry
on my part, but this thing seems to me to
be wrong, and it is sin against my con-
science. 1t is a sin against God, ana |
beg you sir, to excuse me.n
He may flush up and swear, but he will
cool down, and he will have more admira
ton for you than for those who submit to
his evil dictation; and while they sink
you will rise. Do not, because of seem
ing temporary adversely, give up your
character, young man. Under God, that
is the only thing you have to build on.
Give up that, you give up every thing.
That employer asks young man to hurt
himself for time and for eternity who eX-
poets him to make wrong entry, or
change an invoice, or say goods cost so
much when they cost less, or impose upon
the verdancy of a customer, or misrepre-
sent a style of fabric. How dare he de-
mand of you any thing SO insolent:
Magnaninity superb! They stole the
luster from his eye, and the color from
his cheek, and the honor from his soul,
and then they kicked him out. If such
professed Christian merchants do not go
straight to hell, | don't know any use of
having such place o, young men, dis
appoint the expectation of that firm; dis
appoint those customers if these things
are expected of you. You may sell an
extra case of goods, you may sell an extra
roll of silk, but the trouble is you may
have to throw your soul to boot in the
bargain.
Again, counsel all clerks to cong uer
the trials of their particular position. One
great trial for clerks is the inconsidera-
ton of customers. There are people who
are entirely polite everywhere else, but
gruff and dictatorial and contemplate
when they come into a store to buy any
thing. There are thousands of men and
women who go from store to store to price
things, without any idea of purchase.
They are not satisfied until every roll of
goods is brought down, and they
have pointed out all the real or
kinds of kid gloves and stretch
put on all styles of cloaks and walk to the
TO hny han
they sail out of the store, saying: 81 will
not take it today" which means: II don't
want it at all" leaving the clerk amid
confusion of ribbons, and laces, and cloths,
to smooth $500 worth of goods-not one
cent of which did that man or woman buy
or intend TO buy. Now | call that dis
honesty on the part of the customer. If a
boy runs into store and takes roll of
cloth off the counter and sneaks out into
the street, you all join in the cry pell-mell:
.'Stop thiefm When | see you go into a
store not expecting to buy anything but
to price things, stealing the time of the
clerk and stealing the time of his en-
ployer, l say, too; "Stop thiefw IfIwere
asked which class of persons most need
the grace of God amid their annoyances,
! would say: DRY goods Clerks All the
indi gnation of customers about the high
prices comes on the clerk. For instance:
A great war comes. The manufactures
are closed. The people go off to battle.
The price of goods runs up. A customer
comes into store. Goods have gone up.
How much is that worth!'
"a dollar.nr
"a dollar" Outrageous A dollar!H
Why, who is to blame for the fact that
it has got to be a dollar! Does the indig
nation go out to the manufacturers on the
banks Of the Merrimac. because they have
closed ups No. Does the indignation go
out toward the employer, who is out at his
country seat. No 1t comes on the clerk.
He got up the war! He levied the taxes !
He puts up the rents! OF course it's the
CLERK!
Then there are all the trials which
come to clerks from the trea.m ent of in
considerate employers. There are pro-
fessed Christian men in this city who have
no more regard for their clerks than they
have for the scales on which the sugars
are weighed. A clerk is no more than 50
much store furniture. No consideration
for their rights or their interests. Not one
word of encouragement from sunrise to
sunset, nor from January to December.
But when any thing goes wrong-a streak
of dust on the counter, or box with the
cover off-thunder showers of scolding.
Men imperious, capricious, cranky to-
ward their clerks-their whole manner as
much as to say:
s.All the interest have in you is to see
what can get out of you"
Then there are boys in establishments
who are ruined-in prosperous estab lsh
ments-ruined by their lack of compensa-
ton. In how many prosperous stores it
has been for the last twenty years that
boys were given just enough money to
learn them how to steal! Some were
seized upon by the police. The vast ma
jority of instances were not known. The
head of the firm asked:
ssWhere is George nowf"
80, he isn't here any more"
A lad might better starve to death on a
blasted heath than take one cent from his
L. 49, Lo$ ,,,~11, 80